DIS-EASE

We hear this word over and over in our world today.  The biggest myth that we are fed is that if we know the name of our Disease, we will know what is wrong with us.  FALSE.

I am going to be sharing excepts from a blog of one of my favorite doctors today, Dr. Mark Hyman.  Dr. Hyman is a world renowned functional medicine doctor who always tries to get to the root of the cause, not just band aid a situation.  I highly suggest you check out his website, www.drhyman.com   According to Dr. Hyman:

I believe that we put too much emphasis on naming diseases. Sure, the names we give disease are useful for finding the right medication, but they are not helpful for truly getting to the root cause or creating a healing response.

MYTH:  If You Know the Name of Your Disease, You Know What’s Wrong With You

This myth is pervasive throughout medicine, and it is THE single biggest obstacle to changing the way we do things and finding the answers to our health problems.

The problem is simply this—we are in the naming and blaming game in medicine.  It is what we were trained to do. Find the name of the “disease,” then match the drug to the disease.  You have “depression”, so you need an “antidepressant”. You are “anxious”; you need an “anti-anxiety” medication. You have bipolar disease or mood swings, so you need a “mood stabilizer”.

But these labels or diagnoses are just names we associate with a collection of symptoms. This name has NOTHING to do with WHY you have those symptoms—with the root causes of the “disease.”

The future of medicine is personalized treatment, not “one-size-fits-all.” The outdated method of naming the disease and then assigning a drug to fix it clearly isn’t working.

Unfortunately, few in the medical industry today seem to understand this. The truth is that medical practice is virtually predicated on the myth of diagnosis.

The name of the disease bears little relationship to the cause of the disease.

One Disease, Many Causes—One Cause, Many Diseases

One disease can have many, many different causes, ALL of which manifest the same symptoms. Take depression for example. It may be caused by many different factors, yet the symptoms we see are the same across the board.

It may be there are many “depressions,” not just one generic “depression.”  These “depressions” may be the result of a multitude of causes: folate, B6, or B12 deficiency; low thyroid function; “brain allergies” to foods; an autoimmune response to gluten that inflames the brain; mercury poisoning; abnormal proteins called gluteo- or casomorphins from mal-digested food that alter brain chemistry; brain inflammation from a hidden infection; blood sugar imbalances; low testosterone or other sex hormones; a deficiency of omega-3 fats; or adrenal gland dysfunction from excessive stress among many other possible causes.

These are some of the real causes of “depression” as well as many other mental illness and neurological conditions.  Without addressing core, underlying issues like these, we can never have optimal brain function or mood.

There is really no such thing as the “disease” called depression, just many different systemic imbalances that cause the symptoms we collectively refer to as “depression.”

One disease, many causes …

On the other side of the spectrum, there can be one factor in a person’s diet, lifestyle, environment, or genetic make up that can cause dozens of different and seemingly unrelated “diseases.”

Gluten, the protein found in the most common grain eaten in America—wheat—as well as barley, rye, oats, spelt, and kamut is an excellent example.  Gluten is one common factor that can create so many illnesses and diseases it would be hard to count them all.

The reasons are many.  They include our lack of genetic adaptation to grasses, and particularly gluten in our diet.  Wheat was introduced into Europe during the middle ages, and 30 percent of those of European descent carry the gene for celiac disease (HLA DQ2 or HLA DQ8), which increases susceptibility to health problems from eating gluten. Keep in mind that American strains of wheat have a much higher gluten content (which is needed to make light fluffy Wonder bread).

One cause, many diseases …

One disease caused by multiple factors, one factor that causes multiple diseases? How could this happen? It completely upsets our current thinking. And it should!

But the reason this is true is simpler than you might think.

We are all unique, biochemically and genetically, and have different responses to the same insults.  In one person gluten may cause arthritis, in another, it can cause depression. Depression may be caused by gluten in one person; in another, it may be caused by B12 deficiency.

The beauty of Functional Medicine, and the science of nutrigenomics, is that they take these factors into account to help create health for each individual.

Medicine has been looking in the wrong place for answers.  Finally, science has provided a gateway to a different way of thinking about mental illness and brain disorders. We need to get out of the “name it, blame it, and tame it” game —the myth of diagnosis—and start thinking about how the body works, how to personalize our approach, and how to not suppress symptoms but to restore normal function.

I hope this article has highlighted the importance of a doctor who practices functional medicine.  I truly believe this is the future of medicine and healing if we want to live our lives without the use of many medications (if possible) and live our life to the fullest potential it was meant for. 

It is YOUR life….Live a Great One!

xo

Anne